Five Gang Members Sentenced in Trenton Drive-By Shooting that Killed 13-Year-Old Girl

The Trenton Times published the following article on November 8, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Five Sex Money Murder gang members are sentenced in Trenton drive-by shooting that killed 13-year-old girl at block party

By Brendan McGrath/The Times of Trenton
on November 08, 2013 at 6:42 PM, updated November 08, 2013 at 6:51 PM

TRENTON — Five members of the Sex Money Murder faction of the Bloods street gang were sentenced today for their roles in the 2009 drive-by shooting that led to the death 13-year-old innocent bystander Tamrah Leonard.

The gang planned the shooting as retaliation against an attack by the Gangster Killer Bloods. Two gang members opened fire on a block party on Martin Luther King Boulevard in June 2009, killing Leonard in the process.

Bernard Baines, 22, one of two shooters involved in the drive-by was sentenced to 21 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter. Baines, who did not fire the shot that killed Leonard, reached a plea deal last year that called for a 25 year prison term. Superior Court Judge Mark Fleming said he decided on a shorter sentence because Baines was the first member of the group to cooperate and had shown significant remorse.